Confessions of a Phlegmatic Protagonist
by sakikura
Summary: He didn't say anything. Neither did she. Neither did anybody else. They were all waiting to see what would happen between them. They were disappointed. Nothing happened. .......Or did it? MorixHaruhi
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. Nor, i have to admit, do I particularly want to, all offense aside of course.

**Please read and review.** Enjoy.

* * *

Mori stood stoically by the window, watching the autumn leaves as they drifted down from the tree that grew just outside that particular window of the Third Music Room.

Red, orange, yellow.

Brown.

Mori frowned slightly.

He noticed that there was a cushioned seat just next to where he was standing, but however, he preferred to stand. As ironic as it may seem, he didn't believe in simple luxuries. Considering that he was a member of the Host Club -which took _pleasure_ in investing in frivolous, unnecessary luxuries- this may have seemed like a rather cynical statement. Which was why he had never bothered to mention it to anyone ever before.

People called him uncommunicative and poker-faced, in truth he just happened to be involved, or 'dragged into' many things that contradicted his true nature, giving plentiful reason for people to call him a hypocrite.

So, he simply kept his thoughts to his thoughts and they became nothing else.

Except when appropriate of course.

In these rather '_occasional__'_ moments though, his fellow club members would indulge in unnecessary theatrics of shock, declaring it was the the sound of hearing him speak that so greatly sparked their reactions, which usually ended up being a whole lot more trouble than it was worth. So, to avoid this, he kept his words at a bare minimum, talking only when absolutely necessary.

'Mori, my good man!'

Mori looked up, snapping abruptly out of his thoughts to see Tamaki sashaying towards him, his characteristically light-hearted beaming smile on his face.

'Enjoying the autumn scene are we?'

Mori looked at him in acknowledgment, but didn't say anything -for practicality's sake of course. Cracking an eye at the blonde haired -rather excitable- male, he noticed that Tamaki had suddenly become quiet; probably- as he would have most likely declared- he was too emotionally touched by the enchanting view of the calm autumn evening.

Tamaki walked slowly over to stand next to Mori, his hands clasped behind his back and his eyes staring out in silence at the picturesque view of the tree -which was complemented quite nicely by the grand, iron-wrought window (which the two of them were staring out of).

Mori glanced briefly at Tamaki, a little concerned. It wasn't usually like him to be this quiet.

He wondered if there was something wrong. The boy was gazing up at the tree; his attractive face basked in the golden light of the gentle autumn sun, his expression strangely calm. The light bounced off his blonde hair, making it shimmer like strands of gold.

Mori was now officially very jealous.

Tamaki saw him looking, and gave him a small smile.

Before launching headfirst into one of his insufferable speeches.

'Well Mori, it seems that you have something on your –oh-so—ever-sufferingly- stoic mind!' Tamaki dabbed at his eyes with a lacy handkerchief -that he had somehow whipped out of nowhere- seemingly overcome with emotion. 'If only if all of us could follow in your your ever-faithful, ever-trustworthy footstep of endearing guidance! I for one believe that it must be fate that we should meet here by this window, on this momentous day, to stand as brothers in justice! As fellow comrades to uphold-'

'Tamaki.' Kyouya's calm voice drifted out from behind them, cutting Tamaki short in mid-stride. 'I think you should stop bothering Mori with your mindless speeches.'

Tamaki turned, pouting slightly. 'But Mother,' he whined, adopting a petulant expression, 'we were-'

'No buts,' Kyouya said firmly. 'Come and help me organize tomorrow's costumes.'

After much debate, Tamaki reluctantly went with him, much to Mori's great relief.

'And they're not costumes Mother,' Mori heard Tamaki say in a sulky voice as Kyouya escorted him away. Once they had gone –Kyouya dragging Tamaki rather forcefully by the collar- Mori looked around. The other Host Club members were packing up after their daily hosting –or at least, they were _supposed_ to be.

Although this was the time that the members of the Host Club were meant to be cleaning up the vast hall (having finished entertaining their lady guests), only Haruhi appeared to be doing anything that even _vaguely_ resembled cleaning.

Mori heard a blood-curdling scream of protest and turned to see Tamaki –having escaped Kyouya's firm hold on him- chasing the twins around the room; the twins throwing Tamaki's teddy bear between them as he made futile attempts to get it back.

'GAH! HIKARU! KAORU! GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT OR I'LL SET HUNNY ON YOU!!'

'Huh?' Hunny turned around at the sound of his name, seemingly oblivious to the chaos happening around him. His eyes open wide in confusion, he fwipped his head from side to side, looking the complete essence of childish innocence.

'Hunny! Come help me get Mr Teddy back! NOOO! Mr Teddy, I'LL SAVE YOU!!!'

As the twins ran past, Hikaru threw the teddy bear towards Kaoru. He missed, and it landed very near where Hunny was sitting -blissfully oblivious to all that was going on around him.

Kaoru, in his haste, accidentally grabbed Bunny -Hunny's toy rabbit-, mistaking it for the unfortunate bear.

'Hikaru! Catch!' he yelled, devilishly throwing it to his twin brother. Hikaru caught it to find, not a teddy bear, but Bunny in his hand.

'Uh oh.'

Suddenly, the whole of the vast hall went _very_ silent. Scary silent.

Mori glanced quickly towards Hunny. The little boy was staring down at the ground, his face shadowed.

The twins gulped.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Hunny looked up.

There was murder in his eyes.

'GYAH!!!!'

The twins ran for their lives, Hunny running after then in a furious fit of rage. Tamaki gleefully pranced after them, occasionally yelling words of encouragement to Hunny, spurring him on.

'BUNNY!!!"

'NOO! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!'

'……………'

-

Mori sighed resignedly, looking back towards Kyouya. He appeared to be calmly calculating the day's earnings, despite the more-than-obvious war raging around him.

Haruhi on the other hand, was standing in slack-jawed disbelief as she watched her fellow club members' antics. They had -very quickly- destroyed the tidiness she had so carefully created, and Mori swallowed nervously as the air around her began to turn into steam.

She shot the twins and Tamaki a _very_ dirty look as she toiled painfully behind them, cleaning up the mess they had left in their wake. Noticing Mori watching her expressionlessly from his spot by the window, she shot him an uncharacteristically evil look that said, 'WHY AREN'T YOU HELPING?!!!'

Well, he supposed that it wasn't _her_ fault. He could understand why she would be in a bad mood, considering that all of her hour-long work had just been destroyed in a matter of seconds.

He sighed. Of course, another _perfectly_ feasible reason would be the fact that this happened frequently.

_Very_ frequently.

Mori obligingly picked up a broom and began to sweep the floor clear of debris.

* * *

**AN: **So, after writing DC fics for a while, I decided to try my hand at a Ouran High School Host Club one (wow that really is a mouthful). So, whadaya think? Good? Not good? Bad?! O.O"

Please tell me in the review section so that I can go away with a good state of mind. PLEASE DON'T NOT REVIEW!! It makes my head go in +.+ Thanks.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Ouran High School Host Club

**Please read and review**

* * *

'Gah! Why won't you give up?!'

Tamaki was -once again- fruitlessly chasing the two twins around the great hall. The three of them were creating a lot of ruckus as they dashed and weaved between tables, sofas, and ornaments; earning them an irritated glare from Kyouya.

The reason for the rather disturbing threats that Tamaki was now screaming at the twins was that Hikaru and Kaoru had dragged Haruhi with them into distant corner of the hall, in an attempt to persuade Haruhi to go on another date with Hikaru. Tamaki had sneakily crept up to the plotting twins and overheard their conversation. To which, he had outrageously convicted the twins of 'being dirty towards his darling daughter!'

He was now demanding payback.

And failing.

Watching silently as Tamaki chased the two mischievous twins, Mori sighed to himself. It was obvious for all to see that the young, self-proclaimed Host King had developed strong feelings of more than just friendship towards Haruhi.

Well, obvious to all, it seemed, but the two people in question.

Mori could tell that Haruhi remained ever oblivious to Tamaki's affections, while Tamaki himself, well, –although having great attributes towards charming, and stealing the hearts of other ladies- he was hopeless when it came to his own budding feelings, and those of the person from whom he sought endearment.

_CRASH!_

Mori turned in alarm at the loud noise to see that one of the ornaments, how ironic, as it was a large vase; had toppled and smashed, having been caught by one of Tamaki's flailing arms.

Oh dear. Haruhi would not be pleased at this.

Mori glanced quickly towards Haruhi, curious as to how she would respond to this event. She was staring towards the direction of the crash, and was standing rigidly, her hands clenched into fists.

She looked as if she wanted to lunge out and throttle Tamaki with her bare hands.

Kyouya glanced up from his laptop, noticing that the room had suddenly gone quiet. His eyes glanced down onto the vase, which was now shattered into a million pieces on the floor by where it had stood.

His eyes flicked over it casually and he went back to his writing.

'You should really be more careful, Tamaki,' he said dismissively. 'That was a very expensive vase.'

Haruhi's eye began twitching uncontrollably.

'Yes Mother!' Tamaki chirped, cheerfully oblivious to Haruhi's reaction.

Haruhi began to visibly steam, under her Ouran High School uniform.

Glancing around and suddenly noticing Haruhi's angry state, Tamaki gave a small gasp of concern and rushed over to her side.

'Haruhi! What's wrong? Speak to father!'

Oh dear, Mori thought worriedly. That was a very bad move on Tamaki's part, considering that he was the target of her fury.

But he digressed. He would now explain. Haruhi had only been dragged into this club due to her breaking a vase in the Host Club room. Although the club members could have easily replaced it, Tamaki had at the time decided to pick on her, due to the fact that she was a scholarship student and a commoner. Due to having no money, Haruhi had been forced to pay off her debts by being recruited into the Host Club.

Due to this, she now had to tolerate against the members and their rather infuriating antics on a daily basis. Not only this, but she also had to participate in the -admittedly rather ridiculous- role of the club; to entertain lady guests and engage with them in trivial small talk and flirtations.

Of course, there was also that fact that she was a girl, making it all the more unfair to her.

Mori hadn't really understood how Haruhi had managed to put up with such a lifestyle without becoming extremely infuriated; however, the result of many months of the members' irksome actions and comments seemed to be finally taking its toll.

To make matters worse, Tamaki (dim-wittedly oblivious that Haruhi's anger was directed at him), had at that moment begun to take out his concern for her through the form of one of his dramatic, pointless speeches –which Mori knew that Haruhi loathed with a passion.

What came next made Mori cringe visibly.

'WHY DID YOU BREAK THAT VASE!! WHY WEREN'T YOU MORE CAREFUL?!!!'

'Eeek! Haruhi, what _has_ gotten into you today? Are you feeling ill?'

_-Evil glint-_

'AHHH!!!'

_-Crash! Bang! Bang! Bang!-_

'Haruhi!!! Please!! Stop!!! NOOO!!! Ow! Ow! Ow!'

The twins were standing in the corner and had been clearly enjoying the exchange between Haruhi and Tamaki.

However, their jaws dropped to the floor as Haruhi went on to do some rather –ahem- inappropriate things to Tamaki's head.

Mostly involving a chair and her foot.

'Wow.'

Hunny had been watching the proceedings with a sort of fearful wonderment in the other far corner, and he now tiptoed over to hover nervously next to Mori.

'I've never seen Haruhi _this_ mad before,' he whispered up to Mori.

Mori responded by moving slightly so that he was standing protectively between Hunny and the enraged Haruhi. She probably still held a slight grudge against Tamaki and the other members for making her work in the host club against her will.

'She's kind of scary when she get's mad.' Hunny clutched Usa-chan, his bunny, comfortingly to his chest.

Mori patted Hunny reassuringly on the head as he looked over at Kyouya and the twins. Hikaru and Kaoru were looking uncharacteristically wide-eyed and shocked as they watched on, their mouths open slightly in disbelief.

Kyouya had also looked up from his work and was watching the display with a stony expression on his face.

He was a little more composed, as he managed controlled his emotions with an almost flawless talent. However, looking closer, Mori did notice a sort of grimness to the set of his mouth and a slight twitch in his left eye.

He wordlessly turned back to Hunny and together they watched in solemn silence as Haruhi continued killing Tamaki with her chair.

'GAHHH!!!!'

* * *

Afterwards, Haruhi went away for a while to calm down from her little fit of rage and Tamaki was helpfully patched up by Hunny. The remaining Host Club members -after a long moment of shock- proceeded to begin preparing the Music Room for their daily hosting session.

Tamaki had recovered and at that moment was facing the remaining club members, getting ready to speak.

Mori glanced over at him, surprised at his speediness of recovery.

He was probably used to this kind of treatment by now, Mori decided, considering that Tamaki's sometimes rather foolish actions seemed to often cause a lot of people much grief.

Putting his hands on his hips, Tamaki turned around to face the other members. 'Why aren't you getting ready into your costumes?' he barked imposingly.

The members all looked him blankly, their sympathy for Haruhi's ill treatment of him already evaporated. For some reason, Mori was picturing a big arrow pointing towards Tamaki that read 'Hypocrite.'

'Well, considering that you aren't doing anything yourself,' the twins grinned devilishly back at Tamaki, 'how can you expect us to follow your orders?' They snickered at Tamaki's outraged expression, before promptly running away; catcalling insults back at him as they ran.

Tamaki stood there, stunned by their fast exit, his hands still on his hips.

'How dare you, you two ungrateful twins!' he cried suddenly, snapping out of his stupor.

'Get back here!'

He waved a fist at Hikaru and Kaoru, who by now had fled to the safety of the other side of the hall. They poked out their tongues out at Tamaki, inducing another cry of indignation from the Host King.

Tamaki turned poutingly to Kyouya.

'Mother! Do something!'

Kyouya calmly adjusted his glasses, not even bothering to look up. 'What do you want me to do Tamaki?'

'Punish your kids! Teach them the meaning of respect!'

Kyouya sighed, tearing his eyes from his laptop.

'Please Tamaki, stop this childish behaviour.'

'But-'

At that moment, the door to the Third Music Room opened, and Haruhi appeared, poking her head around the door.

Tamaki took one look at her and screamed bloody murder.

He ran to hide behind Kyouya. Kyouya sighed in a rather pained sounding way.

'Um…'

Mori watched, a little nervously as Haruhi stepped completely into the room. The murderous look was gone from her eyes and her usual adorable expression was back on her face. She hovered near the door in a rather abashed manner, very conscious of what she had just done.

'Uh, Tamaki?' she said cautiously.

'Eek!'

Kyouya gave a shuddering sigh of impatience. 'Tamaki!' he barked. 'Get out from under there!'

'Yes Mother.' It was a sulky tone.

Tamaki slowly peeked out from under Kyouya's desk and ran quickly over to stand next to Mori. A faint blush spread over Haruhi's cheeks as she twisted her fingers together anxiously. 'I just wanted to apologize for my earlier actions. Um, I wasn't really thinking clearly, and I hope that, -that your head…' she trailed off, looking a little flustered.

'SQUEE! My darling daughter!' Tamaki was very suddenly at her side in a flash, enveloping her in a giant glomp. 'Its okay, Haruhi!' he declared, once again showing his amazingly fast recovery skills. 'You are completely and most utterly forgiven! Who would be able to resist anyway?! Your face is too cute for words!'

Haruhi proceeded to be limply carried off by a triumphant Tamaki, the twins Hikaru and Kaoru closely in tow, complaining loudly to the Host King.

'Hey m'lord, you big pervert!'

'Taking Haruhi all for yourself! How greedy!'

'Where are you taking her anyway? Huh?'

Mori felt a little sorry for the young girl, as her feeble protests were drowned out by the three hormone-crazed male club members.

Who were _all_ madly in love with her of course.

He sighed. Poor girl.

* * *

'Welcome to the Host Club! It is our honour to serve such fine young ladies today.'

Tamaki stood up from his chair and performed a sweeping bow before the assembled group of girls waiting to enter, causing them to titter and blush. A couple of them swooned –a little _too_ dramatically, Mori thought. They usually ended up with their heads making contact with the cold marble floor.

Tamaki continued to speak, his girl-winning smile lighting up the whole of his charming face.

'We are as always, delighted to be graced be the presence of such beautiful young ladies such as yourselves.' Tamaki took one of the customer's hands in his and brushed his lips chastely against it, causing the girl to swoon and the rest of them to erupt in screams.

'SQUEEE!! Prince Tamaki!!!'

The Host Club members stepped aside to avoid being crushed as a stampede of hormone-crazed girls rushed into the Third Music Room.

xxx

The two twins glanced over at Tamaki, their eyebrows raised.

'Didn't you overdo it a bit m'lord?'

'Nonsense!' Tamaki declared, dismissing their provocation with a casual wave of his hand. 'I never overdo. I always create it to the point of perfection. That is why I am Host King!'

Tamaki struck a gallant pose.

_-Flash! Flash!-_

'Urgh.'

Mori looked down to see Haruhi banging her head against the wall at Tamaki's ludicrous announcement.

The poor child, he thought to himself. It didn't really seem fair for her to have to put up with this everyday, considering that they all knew that the club members were _never_ going to let her pay off her debt.

He hesitantly put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see him looking down at her.

'Thanks,' she said, giving him a small smile, before obligingly going off to her duties -entertaining the group of young ladies that were eagerly lined up waiting for her.

'Haruhi! Can you tell us about what it's like being a commoner?'

'Yes, do tell!'

'Well, okay then.'

'Yay!'

* * *

'Haruhi! Come over here for a moment!'

Mori watched as Tamaki gestured to her from where he was seated with the group of girls that he was entertaining. Haruhi excused herself from the customers that she had been talking to and placidly walked over to where Tamaki was seated.

'Now, Haruhi, I was talking to these _charming_ young ladies,' he flashed them a smile, at which the majority of the girls melted, 'and I was telling them about that adorable look you have in your eyes when you get sleepy. Our guests were very curious as to what it looked like, so I called you over so you could demonstrate for them.'

He looked heroically up at Haruhi from his seat.

From where he was standing, Mori got the feeling that Haruhi looked like she wanted to re-bash Tamaki with that chair. However, she controlled herself, her smile looking a _little_ strained as she glanced pleasantly over at the girls.

And proceeded to put on an expression that caused the girls seated around Tamaki to break out in a mass of ear-piercing squeals.

'OMG! HARUHI IS SOO CUTE!!!'

'DO IT AGAIN!!'

'Well, I told you didn't I? Isn't it adorable?'

Mori hadn't seen quite what had happened, as Haruhi's face had been turned away from him, but it had certainly caused quite a stir among the Host Club. Kaoru and Hikaru had stopped their 'brotherly love' performance -which involved the violent grabbing of each others faces- to glance enquiringly over at Tamaki and Haruhi.

Haruhi was now the centre of attention of all the Host Club, a position Mori knew she would most likely be uncomfortable in.

He watched solemnly as Tamaki went on to squeeze the life from the girl in a giant glomp of affection.

'My darling daughter! Daddy's so proud of you!'

Haruhi looked a bit like a rag doll as Tamaki passed her energetically around the room. She protested against his treatment of her, and made some useless attempts to free herself, but to no avail.

As Mori watched her struggle, he felt a little glum as he realized that there wasn't much he could do at that moment but to watch over her.

Then he wondered why he cared.

xxx

Mori stood silently by the window, watching the proceedings of the Host Club. He was thinking to himself again, which he did a lot of the time.

To be _very_ truthful, he did think that it was _slightly_ degrading to be a member of such a fanciful society –if it were not for his loyalties towards Mitsukuni, he would have never joined.

However, there were people out there that he had to look out for.

Such as Hunny.

And Haruhi.

* * *

**AN:** Yay to end it on a thoughtful note. The romance will be easing its was gradually into the story (you can't rush these things y'know? ;) so apologies for those who were hoping for a Mori/Haruhi romance from the very start.

Well, the story is written for you guys, so please review so that I can write it better for you okay? Feedback, advice, comments, likes, dislikes, any future ideas, anything is welcome ^_^

Thanks for reading


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not in any way own Ouran High School Host Club. Nor, I must admit, do I particularly want to. (It's way too crazy for me =.=")

**Please read and review. **Thanks.

* * *

It was such a beautiful autumn day. The leaves fell from the trees in a multitude of rich earthy colours; red, copper, gold, orange- It was like the whole Ouran campus had been remade with a lovely thick carpet of brilliant colours. It was so peaceful, Haruhi thought admiringly as she stared out of the window down onto the school grounds. So tranquil and calming-

'Hey Haruhi! What are you looking at?' The twins, Hikaru and Kaoru suddenly popped up beside her, seemingly out of thin air.

'Huh?' Haruhi turned in surprise.

'HARUHI!'

Tamaki -seeing the twins- immediately rushed to her side. 'Hikaru, Kaoru! And _what _were you planning to do to my daughter?' He shooed them in an attempt to get them away from Haruhi...

...and failed miserably.

'AHH!!! Devil twins!!'

_-WHACK-_

'Wah!! So mean!' –_Sob sob-_

'So then Haruhi,' The two twins grinned at her -having driven Tamaki away to sulk in his damp little corner of the hall. 'What are you doing?'

'Um, I was-'

'Hey Haruhi, do you want to go on a date with me by any chance, huh? I was thinking we could go to-'

'Hikaru! That's rude! You should ask nicely if you want a girl to go out with you.' Kaoru shot Haruhi an apologetic glance as he reprimanded his brother.

Haruhi sighed as the twins began talking about another topic, forgetting what they had been asking her only a few moments ago. Hikaru turned back to her, after receiving advice from his younger brother.

'Yeah, okay. Haruhi, would you please –whoa!' The twins jumped as Mori appeared behind them, Hunny in tow.

'Jeez, don't scare us like that!'

'Sorry!' Hunny beamed at the three of them, clutching Bunny in one hand. 'Takashi! You have to apologize too, okay?'

'Sorry.' Mori's face was as expressionless as always.

'Good!' Hunny's smile became wider –if that was even possible. 'So,' he said, turning back to Haruhi and the twins, 'what are you talking about? We want to know! Tell me! Please?'

'Uh,' the twins looked a little awkward. 'Well-'

'What are we all discussing without ME?!' Tamaki appeared suddenly out of nowhere -back from his ever-expanding mushroom farm.

'Well?!'

He waited expectantly for an answer.

He got none.

No one spoke.

They were all staring up at the ceiling, waiting for it to do some tricks.

Urgh, Haruhi thought exasperatedly. They had already forgotten. She rolled her eyes.

Should she be surprised?

'Oh yeah,' Kaoru said suddenly, staring up at the ceiling. 'We were asking Haruhi what she was doing.'

'Ohh! _That's_ right!' The rest of the assemble nodded enthusiastically, save for Mori, who's face was completely unreadable, as usual.

Haruhi thunked her head against the wall.

'Okay then! Haruhi!' Tamaki turned to face her, pointing an imposing finger so it was just inches from her nose. 'Tell us what you were doing, immediately!'

There was silence.

No one moved.

No one spoke.

Haruhi stared at his finger from down her nose. Then because it was making her go cross-eyed, she glanced at Tamaki, her face still blank. He was still frozen in his position. To her, his face looked very ridiculous and very childish. But of course, that shouldn't surprise her.

She gave a little sigh. It was at times like this that she wished she were somewhere else. Like in the library, studying for her exams for example.

Still no one moved. It was like they were all frozen in their positions.

Kyouya walked over to the motionless group. It would be hard for him to miss their strange positions -especially Tamaki's- unless he was stone-blind, which happened when he didn't wear his glasses. Having said that, he did happen to be wearing them on this particular occasion. However, even if he had noticed their strange antics, he didn't show it in the least.

'Attention everyone,' he said, writing quickly into his notebook. He finished, and closed it with a snap, looking up at them. 'We're going outside. I want to take some pictures so we can create a photo album, and the autumn background will be perfect for this venture.' Having said this, he began walking towards the door, not bothering to see if they were following.

'By the way, Tamaki, your face looks ridiculous,' he said without looking back. 'Be sure to change your expression to one that is more suitable for the photographs, please.'

Tamaki unfroze, rushing quickly to Kyouya's side. 'Of course, Mother! What a splendid idea! You must be sure to save me some photos of Haruhi!'

'Hey!' The twins ran after Tamaki, protesting at his request.

'That's not fair!'

'Yeah! Tono, you're just a perverted old man who likes hitting on innocent young girls like Haruhi!'

'WHAT!! You take that back! HIKARU! KAORU! COME BACK HERE!'

Kyouya sighed, walking after Tamaki and the twins as they chased each other out of the door.

'Come on Takashi! Haruhi!' Hunny skipped out after them, humming cheerfully to himself. Haruhi looked around. Now there was only Mori and her left in the Music Room.

Haruhi sighed as she stood next to the window, where she had been staring out at the autumn trees. Tamaki and the other club members? They never really did listen to her in the end. They just treated her like a toy, something to entertain themselves with. At least, that's how she felt.

She watched glumly as Mori walked away from her towards the door.

He didn't even glance at her. He walked after Hunny, his face as deadpan as always.

Oh well, Haruhi thought, staring down at the floor a little dejectedly. It was always hard to tell with Mori. One minute he seemed to be kind, the next minute he ignored her. She sighed. Well, she should get going to where the others were, or they'd start to wonder where she was.

She looked up.

To see him standing at the door waiting for her. As she came near, he silently held the door open for her.

Haruhi walked out of the room feeling a little dumbfounded. Well…it looked like she had been wrong about Mori after all.

Without thinking, a smile formed on her face and she walked out of the building into the sunshine, feeling happy and in good spirits.

xxx

'Haruhi!' Tamaki rushed over to her and glomped her as soon as she drew near. 'Where have you been? What took you so long? Your daddy missed you so much!' He sobbed dramatically, as Haruhi stood awkwardly, trying to get him off.

'Tamaki-' she protested weakly.

'Haruhi! There you are!' Hunny skipped over to her, a bright smile on his face. 'Let's take a photo together, okay?'

Haruhi looked down at the little senior. 'Okay,' she replied, smiling.

'Yay! Haruhi's taking a picture with me!' Hunny jumped for joy and joined Tamaki in hugging Haruhi. 'Haruhi's taking a picture with me, Haruhi's taking a picture with me,' he sang happily to himself.

Mori joined the group as he walked over from the school building.

'Huh? If Hunny gets a picture with Haruhi then we want one too!' Hikaru and Kaoru came over, pulling Tamaki away and standing defensively by her side.

'Wah! No fair!' Tamaki attempted to push between the twins to get back to Haruhi. However, Hikaru placed his hand on Tamaki's forehead, nullifying his efforts. Tamaki flapped fruitlessly as he tried to reach Haruhi, protesting loudly.

'Give me back my daughter! Gah! Evil twins!'

'No way, Tono. You're a big pervert. We won't let you lay a single finger on Haruhi.'

'Yeah! No way is _that _scary old man touching our Haruhi!'

'What! I'm not a pervert or an old man!'

'Too bad! You're not getting her!'

Standing behind the twins, Haruhi sighed. They were so childish. She glanced over to where Kyouya was. He was taking shots of the scene taking place, snapping away furiously with his –no doubt, expensive- camera. He looked a little maniacal, Haruhi thought, turning away quickly so that he wouldn't get a shot of her face. Mori and Hunny were watching on, Hunny sitting happily on Mori's shoulders. Haruhi watched in amusement as Hunny playfully put his bunny on Mori's head. Strangely, Mori didn't seem to mind, or be humiliated by Hunny's immature actions.

He was so kind, Haruhi thought admiringly. He seemed to have so much patience with everyone, and his lifelong loyalty to Hunny was a good example of this. If it were her, Haruhi thought, she would have probably lost her temper and given up a long, long time ago.

'GAH!! Stupid Hikaru!'

Finally, Tamaki seemed to give up on his efforts to reclaim Haruhi. He sulked away to find Kyouya -who immediately whisked him away to a patch of scenery and began snapping away picture after picture of the Host King. Haruhi watched, gulping slightly. As calm and intelligent as he may be, when it came to club funds, Kyouya could be just a little scary sometimes. She hoped that they wouldn't all have to be singled out individually to be photographed. She rather disliked having her picture taken, more so if it was to sell to obsessive fan girls who would then scream over them and fantasize about what they would look like naked. The –ahem- 'creativity' of the images those girls often managed to dream up were somewhat frightening.

Shuddering, Haruhi firmly shut those thoughts out of her head. It was too horrible to think about.

She glanced over to the twins. They were lounging around the crimson trees amongst fluttering leaves, looking bored. Hikaru looked a little cheerless for some reason. Kaoru was watching him, a troubled look on his face. They were probably scared of when their turn to be photographed would come. Either that, or they were also imagining what those crazed girls would do with_ their _photographs.

She looked back over towards Mori, a faint warmth spreading inside of her as she observed him. She didn't know why, but there was something about him. Something fleeting, some…emotion that she couldn't quite grasp. She loved his selflessness. His benevolence. She watched as he ever so gently lifted Hunny down from his shoulders, the way someone would handle a single, fragile white rose. So softly, so affectionately. She found herself smiling at him, without realising it. He seemed so-

'HARUHI!'

Haruhi jumped at the sudden sound. She spun around. 'Tamaki?'

She felt the breath knocked from her as the Host King pounced on her, enveloping her in a giant hug. 'My beautiful daughter! How I've missed you! Come now, we must take a photo together. To let our beauty shine like the stars. And amongst such lovely surroundings too-'

As Tamaki started to walk around, making animated gestures, Haruhi zoned herself out on his speech. She had learnt to do so by now, as it was either _that_ or to let herself be swept to La La Land, -which she was convinced would most certainly happen if one was subject to too many of those cursed speeches. She had been subject to a great number of them herself during the time she had known the melodramatic Host King, and she was certain that the other club members had also realised the inevitable undesired side effects of Tamaki's speeches. They too –she had noticed- had learnt the valuable skill of tuning out whenever Tamaki began to rant, and this was what they happened to be doing at that very moment.

'Hey Haruhi,' Hikaru said, interrupting the flamboyant Host King mid-rant. His eyes were strangely grim. Kaoru stood behind him, looking troubled.

'You wanna go take a walk?'

'Um, okay.'

Wordlessly, Hikaru turned around and began to stride off away for the other club members. He didn't bother to wait to see if she was following. Haruhi stared in surprise, wondering if he was mad at her for some reason. Had she said something? His shoulders were rigid, and his whole body seemed tense. Haruhi frowned. Hikaru's body language seemed so different to normal. He seemed cold, angry almost. Haruhi went after him, wondering what it could possibly be that made him ask so suddenly. How odd.

Kaoru watched, strangely quiet as they walked off together, away from the other members. His eyes followed them.

Sad. Troubled.

'Hey-' Tamaki began to follow after them indignantly, but Kaoru caught his arm, stopping him. His look stopped Tamaki in his tracks. Kyouya ceased his photo taking, raising one eyebrow in questioning.

'Kaoru, what's happening?'

Kaoru said nothing for a while. He swallowed, staring after the two disappearing figures as if he hadn't heard Kyouya at all. The other club members watched him, curiously, warily, as they waited for him to speak. There was a long silence.

'Kaoru?'

Kaoru snapped out of his daze, looking towards the concerned faces of the other members. He glanced around as if noticing them for the first time. Kyouya spoke again, impatient. An expression of grim concern was engraved over his face as he stared down at the Hitachiin twin.

'Kaoru, what's wrong?' he asked. His tone was no-nonsense and demanding. Losing the normal calm facade in his worry for the young boy. Kaoru's forehead was contorted, and he looked down at the ground.

'It's Hikaru. He's-'

'Yes?'

'He's…he's made up his mind.' Kaoru stumbled over the words, his eyes looking unnaturally distressed.

'What? What does that mean?' Tamaki lost his cool, shaking him by the shoulders. 'Kaoru?' Kaoru was limp. Unresponsive. He looked like a lost animal, despairing almost. To the club members' alarm, his eyes began to fill with tears.

'Kaoru?! Tell us!' Tamaki shook him forcefully, looking exceedingly concerned at the expression on Kaoru's face.

Kaoru looked up, his eyes pained and hollow.

'He's leaving.'

* * *

'Hikaru?' Haruhi glanced at him cautiously. Hikaru was being strangely silent for some reason.

'Hikaru? Is there something wrong?'

Hikaru didn't speak for a while. So long that Haruhi thought that he had probably forgotten her question.

'Hikaru?'

Eventually, she gave up on asking him. Instead, they walked through the trees for a while, in silence. Haruhi stared up at the falling leaves. Red, orange, gold. She wondered what it was Hikaru had called her away for. He was acting awfully unusual, so unlike his normal, mischievous self.

'Hey Haruhi,' Hikaru spoke suddenly, breaking the silence.

'Do...do you remember that time back at the ski lodge?'

Haruhi glanced at him in surprise. He went on without looking at her.

'Remember I confessed to you that I liked you? And then, I asked you to go out with me?' He smiled mirthlessly, staring up at the trees. Lost in his thoughts.

'Remember how you rejected me afterwards at the New Year's party?' He glanced at her for the first time, and she looked back at him, not bothering to conceal her confusion at such a question. Not waiting for an answer, he continued. 'Back then, I wondered if it was because you liked someone else. Was there some other person?' He shook his head, exhaling.

'I don't really care now.'

Turning to face her, he stopped, putting his hands on her shoulders. Haruhi stared at him in surprise, watching his face carefully for any signs of sudden anger or violence. However, there was none. Hikaru gazed down into her eyes, with an emotion she couldn't quite place.

Sorrow?

Affection?

Regret?

Maybe a mixture of all three.

'Well, what I wanted to tell you was that -I'm leaving Ouran High School.'

He looked away.

'My mother told me a while ago that because I'm the older one out of me and Kaoru, I-' he faltered. 'I have to choose whether or not I want to inherit the family business.' He looked her straight in the eyes. 'I've been thinking about it for while, and I decided, well, I do want to.'

He continued to stare at her. Haruhi stared back at him, stunned at his revelation.

'I wanted-I wanted to tell you first, because, well-because I feel, I dunno, -closest to you?' He turned his head so that Haruhi couldn't see his face, probably embarrassed at how emotional he was at that moment.

'I mean-' He sighed exasperatedly at himself. 'What I mean to say is, I like you. I always will, okay? So don't you forget it!'

'And well-' he swallowed slowly.

'Haruhi, you take care, okay?'

Haruhi nodded, still in shock.

She snapped out of it, shaking her head to clear it. She glanced back towards Hikaru. He had walked off a little distance, his back to her. He had tipped his head back and his eyes closed. He breathed out in a long shuddering sigh.

Haruhi walked up behind him. 'Hikaru-'

'Yeah?' He didn't turn around.

'You take care too. You made a good decision.'

She smiled at his back, her heart feeling…peaceful. It was probably because she knew that Hikaru had made the right choice. He was sure of his path, and nothing would deter him. She would support him for this fact. He knew this as well. They both had accepted his decision, so their hearts were not hurt or troubled. Instead, they were tranquil and at ease.

'Good luck.'

'Thanks, I guess.'

_Goodbye._

_ Hikaru Hitachiin. _

* * *

**AN:** Chapter three! Yeah! Sorry that it wasn't really in Mori's point of view -I wanted to do Haruhi for a refreshing change, and so that her developing feelings could be seen. This is a bit of an emotional chapter -does it seem too rushed that Hikaru left too soon? Does it seem too sudden? I hope not but if it is then please be sure to tell me because I would like to know. Thanks for your support~ _  
_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. Yayayaya...

**Please read and review**

* * *

It was more than a week after Hikaru had confessed that he was leaving Ouran High School to the other Host Club members. A few days after that, he had packed up his stuff. The next day, he had said his goodbyes, and promised to keep in touch. The day after that, he was gone.

Mori exhaled quietly, scanning his eyes across the Host Club room. The place seemed so much quieter without Hikaru's presence, he thought glumly. The club members (namely Tamaki, Hunny and Kaoru) were still a little deflated at Hikaru' sudden decision to leave, and it seemed as if all the joy had been sucked out of them.

He was standing in his familiar spot near the window and as he contemplated this, Mori stared out of the window down into his favourite view of the autumn leaves. All the members were lounging around that day, staring into space, with none of their usual vigour and liveliness.

Mori looked concernedly towards where Kaoru was sitting. It had already been a week now since Hikaru left, but for the whole week, Kaoru had been unusually withdrawn and quiet, and had barely said a word. Kaoru seemed to be the most affected by his brother's absence. The other members would often come in to find him cooped up in a secluded seat in the corner next to the far window, lost in his thoughts -a distant and far-away look in his eyes.

Mori was worried about the young boy. Kaoru had been, and still was extremely close to his twin brother, and the unfamiliarity of not having Hikaru nearby seemed to be taking its toll on him deeply. Despite their decision to become two independent individuals, the Hitachiin siblings had still never been without each other for this long before. Kaoru without Hikaru was like a bird without its wings. Or a chick without its mother.

For the past few days, he had isolated himself from the rest of the remaining Host Club. He had taken to sitting on a seat near a far window, his knees drawn up to his chin, gazing out for long hours at the autumn scenery. This was where he was sitting at that moment.

Mori gazed over at the young boy sympathetically from his spot by the window. For now, Mori had thought it best for him to be alone to think, undisturbed. With some subtle indication from Kyouya, the other club members had also picked up on the fact that Kaoru didn't want to be around anyone for the time being. They had all –even Tamaki- kept their distance, only sending the occasion apprehensive glance towards Kaoru's remote area of the hall. This had been the norm for the past few days ever since Hikaru had left.

Mori knew that it was understandable for the boy to be depressed and withdrawn for a time, as he and Hikaru had closer than anyone he had ever known. But...

Mori sighed, a frown creasing his forehead. Kaoru had been sitting like that for a week now, with no signs of letting up. He just hoped that the boy would be able to get over his brother's absence and move on gradually, as he and the other club members wouldn't be able to stay like this for very much longer. Even the hosting sessions had been cancelled temporarily, as none of the members seemed to be in any mood to host; most likely they were also worried about the boy –who was still staring into space.

Mori sighed, looking dismally around the vast hall. Kyouya was typing on his laptop, but he looked a little concerned and would occasionally send subtle glances towards the figure in the corner to see how he was holding up. Haruhi was lying on a sofa, also staring towards Kaoru. She looked troubled and anxious. Even Tamaki had been rather quiet for all of the week, which was decidedly unnerving. The young Host King was at that moment sitting on a sofa in Hunny's little area of the Music Room. His face was sad and forlorn, involuntarily reminding Mori a little of a puppy who'd just done something it shouldn't have. Tamaki had been watching Kaoru for the whole week with all the concern of a mother hen.

Tamaki let out the occasional tearful sob as he gazed anxiously towards the hunched figure in the far corner. Of course, Tamaki's tears were extremely contagious to the small senior, and Hunny was also looking very tearful. Knowing Hunny better than the rest of the Host Club, Mori suspected that he was probably crying more because Tamaki was sad, rather than because he was worried about Kaoru.

Feeling his energy being sapped by the heavy atmosphere of the room, Mori went back to staring out the window and down at the trees below. He remembered that Haruhi had reported –as she and Kaoru were also in the same in class- that the other students had also taken notice of Hikaru's disappearance, and towards the sudden change in Kaoru's normal personality. Their teacher had even openly inquired about Hikaru, and asked if Kaoru was feeling unwell, much to Kaoru's annoyance. He had snapped bad-temperedly back at the teacher, which had sent an unexpected shock to both Haruhi and the rest of the Host Club.

'I mean, I can imagine Hikaru doing something like that,' Haruhi had said afterwards as she had recounted the event. 'But Kaoru? He must be taking Hikaru's decision to leave really bad.' Her expression had been one of concern as she had glanced at the other members. Tamaki and Hunny had nodded tearfully in agreement. Mori had been standing close behind Hunny, listening to her speak. His eyes had locked with hers as she had looked at him helplessly, worry for Kaoru evident in her eyes. He remembered how he had wished there was something he could do to help…._her._

He had firmly reminded himself that he should have been worried for Kaoru, not Haruhi. Yet, for some reason his mind had kept running over the image of Haruhi, her eyes clouded with worry and unease. He had pictured her eyes in his head, long after he had left the Host Club that day, as he had walked home from school, as he had lay in bed, wide awake, his feelings and emotions churning inside his body.

What was this strange new feeling that had formed, unnoticed, inside of him? Why was it that now, he could only ever think of Haruhi? Why was it that whenever she gazed into his eyes, he would always feel a wonderfully _warm_ sensation spreading right through him? Why was it that he always felt strangely protective over her whenever Tamaki went to talk to her? So many strange feelings… He sighed, rubbing his temples wearily.

For the umpteenth time that day, he glanced towards to depressive figure in the corner and then at the silent members.

Whatever happened, they couldn't carry on like _this._ That much was for sure.

* * *

Sigh.

Haruhi got bored of watching over Kaoru after a while and rolled over onto her back to stare up at the ceiling. Poor Kaoru. He was taking Hikaru's absence really hard.

She wished there was something she could do to help him, but Kaoru had made it clear to the other members that he didn't want company. Tamaki had being acting strangely too. He had hardly ever glomped her over the past week, or given a single one of his frivolous speeches. As unattractive as the idea may seem, she almost found herself missing Tamaki's irritatingly carefree persona and the twins' annoying antics.

She sighed again, the dull, heavy atmosphere in the room making her feel bored and sleepy. She missed Hikaru. More than she had realised. Unbeknownst to her, but it seemed that it was only once _that_ something was taken from her that she realised how much she _had _actually cherished it. And that something was…well, Hikaru. It was all the club members.

Because he had left, Kaoru and Tamaki and all of the other club members were completely drained of their usual (even irritatingly so) vitality and enthusiasm. She cared deeply about each and every one of them, and she was worried, not only for Kaoru, who had been practically unresponsive for the whole week, but also for Tamaki. And Hunny. And Mori and _even _Kyouya. Urgh! She prided herself on being blunt and having an air of indifference, but in the end, she probably cared as much for the Host Club as Tamaki did. Yes, as much as she hated to admit it, she cared as much as that stupid, stupid _idiot_ who was crying his heart out onto his sleeve that very moment. Argh! She cared all right. And right now she so worried for them that she could scream.

She stared desperately up at the ceiling. It had been a whole week now since Hikaru had left Ouran. And it had been a whole week that Kaoru had been sitting in that corner, his eyes hollow and unseeing; in class, staring into space vacantly like a zombie. Tamaki had barely said anything that week as well; Haruhi could tell that he was just as worried as her, if not more. He had spent the week with his eyes glued to Kaoru. Big, sad and tearful. Just like a forlorn little puppy. Hunny, following Tamaki's lead, had spent the time glued to Tamaki, or on Mori's back like a baby koala. She had heard him many times begging Mori to do something to make Kaoru better again. Mori had responded gently, telling a tearful Hunny that there was nothing directly that they could do for Kaoru. He had to be able come to terms with his own loss, and no one could do that for him. All they could do was to offer him support when he needed it. Haruhi had listened to this quietly, half of her warmed by Mori's mature understanding and gentleness, the other half surprised as that had to be the _most_ amount of words she had _ever_ heard him say in one sitting.

She rolled onto her side and readjusted herself again, so that she was back to staring at Kaoru. He was still hunched over on his seat, chin on his knees as he stared out of the window. How much longer would he keep this up for? Any longer, and Haruhi was sure that her heart would break with worry.

She turned her head so that she was staring over towards Tamaki and Hunny. The two of them were bawling their eyes out, looking more miserable and dejected than she had ever seen them before. Kaoru didn't seem to notice. He didn't notice anything anymore.

Haruhi sighed. She had always seen Kaoru as the more mature and understanding one out of the two, but he and Hikaru must have been ever closer than she had thought they were, for him have withdrawn this far within himself. Hosting had even been canceled for the whole week, as none of the members were in any state to host. The clients were in a state of confusion, and each day more and more of them demanded to know what had happened. Rumours were spreading over the whole school, about Hikaru having been killed or kidnapped, and all sorts of strange stories, becoming bigger and more absurd each passing day. They couldn't keep this up much longer.

Haruhi just hoped that Kaoru would be able to come to terms with his loss, and move on soon.

* * *

'Kaoru!'

Eventually it seemed Tamaki had cracked, Mori noted dryly. The remaining club members watched (a little apprehensively) as Tamaki –with tears streaming down his face- hurtled towards Kaoru in an effort to 'cheer him up.'

'Oh Kaoru you poor thing! Let your father comfort you with-'

_SMACK! _

Tamaki was met with a fist to his face.

Ouch. Mori flinched.

Tamaki retreated sobbing, to his little corner to tend to his ever growing mushroom patch. He was wailing something about Kaoru being a zombie monster.

Umm…

'Tama!' Mori turned to see Hunny running after Tamaki, probably in an effort to comfort _him._ Sigh.

He began to walk after the two of them in the corner, ever faithful to Mitsukuni.

xxx

'Haruhi.'

Haruhi looked up. It was Kyouya. He jerked his head in Kaoru's direction. 'Go and see if he's okay.'

What, her? Had she heard correctly?

He smirked, seeing the agitated look on her face. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'he won't punch _you. _Go on.'

Haruhi sighed and picked herself up of her sofa, glancing resentfully back at Kyouya. She began walking towards Kaoru's far corner.

Once she drew near to him, she stopped, not sure if he wanted her to be there.

'Kaoru?' she said, hesitantly.

There was no reply. She cautiously stepped closer to him, creeping forwards until her face was side-on to his. She nervously hovered there, not sure whether to expect a reaction like he one Tamaki had received. There was none, luckily. Haruhi sighed, glancing concernedly at the hunched boy.

'We- We're all worried about you, Kaoru.'

She received no answer still. She exhaled, glancing back towards the rest of the club. 'Tamaki and Hunny haven't stopped crying for a whole week. Kyouya's also really concerned. And…Mori doesn't say much but I know he's worried about you.'

Kaoru kept on staring into space, unresponsive.

Haruhi wondered if he'd even heard her.

Tentatively, she crept forwards a little more, until her face was just inches from his. Slowly, slowly, she reached out, and placed a hesitant hand on his shoulder.

'I'm worried about you too,' she breathed softly. She stared down at the ground, uncertain as to how he would react.

There was a slight sigh of wind from the trees outside. Haruhi looked up. She inhaled quickly.

Kaoru was still hunched up in his seat, but he had tears spilling out of his unseeing eyes, rolling down his cheeks, as silent as the grave. Haruhi felt tears welling up in her eyes as well, but she pushed them down. Now was not the time to be weak.

'Oh, Kaoru.'

Haruhi's unknown motherly instincts kicked in. She quickly sat down next to him, wrapping her arms around his rigid shoulders.

They stayed like that for an eternity; with the only sound being Haruhi's shallow breathing and the sigh and rustle of the trees as they watched over them.

* * *

Mori looked over at Haruhi and Kaoru in the opposite corner. Haruhi had her arms wrapped comfortingly around Kaoru. As he saw this, Mori felt an unwanted pang of jealously run through him. That was strange. Why was he jealous?

He turned back to Tamaki and Hunny, thinking. The two of them were sitting on the floor, Hunny offering his Bunny to Tamaki for comfort. Tamaki took it, sniffling slightly.

Mori stared at the ground, frowning. He didn't think of Haruhi as anything more than a friend…right? But then, why would he be jealous…

Mori froze, as a thought came to him. Could it be that…?

No.

He shook his head, dismissing the thought quickly. Of course not. He didn't harbor any feelings for the girl that extended anywhere beyond those of friendship.

Yes, that's right, he reassured himself. Those kinds of feelings were for Tamaki and Hikaru, not him.

And besides, he sighed, turning back to Tamaki and Hunny...

...Why would Haruhi ever like him?

* * *

**AN:** Review please!


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. -Insert something witty here- hehe \(^.^)/

**Please read and review.**

* * *

Haruhi listened vaguely as the teacher talked on about advanced mathematics. She had her chin propped on her palm and she was looking straight towards the front, pen in hand. Her course book was open in front of her. She had all the looks of an attentive student.

However, in reality, she wasn't paying any attention at all to what the teacher was saying. She had so many thought and emotions flitting through her that it was driving her crazy. Confusion, frustration, worry, sorrow, and yet, strangely also happiness. She was thinking about Kaoru. And Hikaru. And…Mori too, for some reason that she really could not comprehend. She sighed, glancing discreetly to the seat next to her where Kaoru was sitting. He was facing towards the front of the class, staring at the board.

It was strange, Haruhi thought to herself. Kaoru was looking at the board, yet he was also somehow _not _looking at it. He was staring at it, but staring straight through it, as if he didn't see it at all. Haruhi exhaled, slowly and wearily. She turned her head in the other direction to where Hikaru had used to sit on her other side. That seat was now empty. It was so stark and bare that she felt a pang of sorrow stab through her heart.

She gave a small sad smile. She knew that Kaoru must be feeling that pain magnified a thousandfold, as he had been a hundred times closer to his brother than she could have ever dreamt to be. She wondered how Hikaru must be doing without Kaoru. Kaoru was the more emotionally stable out of the two of them, but for him to be like this- she pursed her lips apprehensively- Hikaru must have been in complete turmoil when he had decided to leave. It must have been so hard for him…

Haruhi sighed agitatedly. She had been completely clueless for the whole time. While Hikaru had been struggling with his decision, she had been sullenly moping around, complaining inwardly to herself about their annoying behaviour and her own undesirable situation. All this time- and she had never even _suspected_. Urgh. Some friend she was.

_RING!_

The shrill sound of the school bell pulled her out of her trance and she looked up quickly. Around her other students were standing up and packing away their textbooks and stationery into their bags.

'Okay class! Thank you and have a good weekend! Don't forget to do your homework! That is page sixty-six to seventy-two out of your course book!' The teacher had to yell to make himself be heard over the noise of chairs scraping over the ground and students talking and generally ignoring him altogether.

He shook his head defeatedly and went back to his desk to organise his notes. Haruhi had a deep suspicion that most of the students probably hadn't even heard him and that there were going to be a lot of unfinished homework pages on the following Monday. She slowly packed away her books and tucked her chair carefully under the desk, bowing respectfully to the teacher once she had finished. After all, she may be only a working class scholarship student, but at least she had manners, unlike the rest of her class.

She turned to Kaoru, who was waiting wordlessly for her so that they could walk together to the Third Music Room, where the after school hosting sessions usually took place. Even though they weren't hosting for the time being, the members still –out of habit- went there after class, even if _only_ to be in the company of each other.

'Okay, I'm done.' Haruhi glanced expectantly at Kaoru, who blankly turned and walked out of the room, Haruhi following after him. She glanced at him cautiously; half hoping that he'd have gotten over Hikaru a little better by now. But…nothing. They walked on in silence for a while towards the Music Room, Kaoru looking away from Haruhi so that she couldn't see his face. Haruhi stared down at the ground. Kaoru hadn't been himself for so long now. She'd even almost forgotten what he'd used to be like. She just wished that he'd smile again. Just once. All she wanted was for him to be happy again, to smile and laugh, and pull pranks on Tamaki and annoy her to death until she felt like bashing him over the head with a hardcover book. Him and Hikaru-

She stopped herself quickly, having automatically paired them together again. She sighed. Hikaru was gone now, she had to accept that. Kaoru had to accept that fact as well. She found herself smiling slightly as she recalled Hikaru's words to her, how proud she had been of him when he'd made his decision. She glanced over at Kaoru again, and her smile faded just as quickly, as she saw the sad, empty look in his eyes, the look which she saw in the eyes of all the Host Club members. What she'd give to have him smile again.

She turned away sadly, staring out of the window as they walked on in silence. He had changed so much, so suddenly…

'Haruhi.'

Haruhi glanced over at him, surprised. He had spoken so quietly that she wasn't completely sure that she hadn't imagined it. He was looking at her, his eyes pained, but questioning. She took a deep breath, and smiled reassuringly at him. 'Yes?'

'Why are you always so kind towards us?' Kaoru asked quietly. Haruhi's eyes widened in confusion at his question. He stared solemnly back at her, waiting for her to reply.

'What do you mean?' She examined his face carefully, searching for any clues as to what he was thinking to ask such an unexpected question.

Kaoru looked around tersely. 'I mean, before, we always treated you like a toy. We just… we just played with you whenever we got bored I guess...' He looked warily towards her –almost like a stranger, Haruhi thought sadly.

'We never really thought about how you might be feeling, or…or whether you might be annoyed…or stressed by what we did. You know?' Haruhi stared back into his eyes, stunned. So he _had_ been aware that their antics had often annoyed her and made her feel down. Then, why had they still-

No, she thought firmly, shaking her head and staring determinedly into his eyes. Despite their often thoughtless actions, she knew in her heart that they cared deeply for her.

_And she for them._

She smiled at him gently. 'You know want to know why I was so kind towards you? Well...I wasn't.'

She stared down at her feet, breathing out a small sigh. 'To tell you the truth, I often grumbled to myself that it wasn't fair that I was stuck in this silly club. But you know what?' she asked, looking back into his surprised eyes. 'After a while, I realized...that you weren't all just brainless idiots…' She sighed gently, staring out of the window. 'You were actually all good, well-meaning people who were _brimming _with compassion and empathy towards other people.' She smiled faintly, looking back into his eyes. 'All of you. Tamaki, Hunny, Mori, Kyouya, you…and Hikaru.' She turned back to him solemnly. 'And _because_ I have this belief in you, I have faith that you will make the right decisions. Just like Hikaru did.'

She sighed, coming towards him. She sat down in the hall, pulling him down beside her. 'You know what, Kaoru? One of these days, all of you will leave.' She stared solemnly into his eyes and continued on softly. 'You'll all go down your separate paths and you'll leave me.'

'But-'

Haruhi shook her head firmly, cutting off his protests. 'No matter how much you fight it, it will happen. But you know what? I can trust that you will make the right decisions, and you will grow to become good, caring people. I believe in you enough to know that.' She looked towards Kaoru, her eyes determined. 'Kaoru, you have to be able to trust Hikaru too. You're not betraying him or forgetting him, but just trusting him enough not to worry about him. You have to be able to _truly_ care and believe in him enough not to be sad when he leaves you, but to be happy for him, knowing that he's made the right choice.'

She stared wholeheartedly into his eyes. 'Please Kaoru, smile again okay? Everyone is so worried about you.'

Kaoru stared back at her, his eyes wide and uncertain. His gaze came to rest upon her eyes, and he glimpsed all of the love and the worry that was in them. For him. He smiled back at her. It was a small and bittersweet smile, and it was tinged with sorrow and anguish… But it was a smile nonetheless.

'Thank you, Haruhi.'

Haruhi smiled back at him, a warm sincere smile that came from her heart. Her face looked as if a huge cloud had been lifted away and the sun had come out, warming the whole world with its gentle glow. The two of them stood up and began to walk back to the Music Room.

xxx

Once they got there, they stopped outside the big oak doors. Kaoru turned to face Haruhi, staring into her eyes.

He spoke so softly that Haruhi had to strain her eyes to hear him, despite the quietness of the hallway, and their already close proximity.

'Some of the members would never admit it, but we couldn't have asked for a better person than you to give us faith and to believe in us,' Kaoru said quietly. 'Without you, we wouldn't be the people who you speak about with so much love and warmth.'

Haruhi stared at him, a little surprised at his statement. She relaxed and smiled softly back at him. 'Thanks, Kaoru-'

'Haruhi!' The door were flung open and Haruhi and Kaoru were caught by surprise as Tamaki –with tears streaming down his face- flung himself at a shocked Haruhi.

'Daddy was so worried about you!'

xxx

'Haruhi!' Hearing Tamaki's cry, Mori turned around in anticipation. His eyes widened slightly as he glimpsed her and his felt a rush of light-headedness race through his body. He didn't know why, but he was pleased to see her. Exuberant in fact. When she came in the whole room seemed to light up, as if it was reflecting all of her vivid radiance. He had never thought of her this way before, but she was actually really pretty.

The evening sun had cast its rays of light upon her hair, making it glitter and sparkle as she moved. Her smile, it was so lovely, so gentle, so beautiful…

Stop, he thought suddenly, looking away from where Haruhi was standing. What was he thinking? He couldn't think of her in this way. That would just be…wrong.

He sighed wearily to himself.

Why were there so many unfamiliar feelings racing through his body?

Why did his heart ache in this way?

'Haru!' Mori glanced up to see Mitsukuni hurtling towards Haruhi, who was standing in the doorway with Tamaki crying on her shoulder. He began to follow him towards the door, simultaneously trying to squash down the giddy, lightheaded feeling that he felt as he walked towards the assemble.

xxx

Meanwhile, Kyouya's eyes followed the stoic senior, a curved smile forming slyly over his face.

Mori seemed to have something on his mind.

How interesting.

xxx

Haruhi sighed, allowing herself to be cried on as Tamaki tearfully sobbed into her shoulder. She rolled her eyes.

'Haru!' Looking over Tamaki's shoulders, Haruhi saw Hunny come running towards her, Mori not far behind. The cute senior also had tears streaming from his eyes, and he cannon balled himself into her, somehow managing to wrap his arms around both Tamaki _and_ Haruhi.

'Um…' Haruhi stood there awkwardly, patting Hunny comfortingly on the head.

'Uh, hello Mori,' she said, looking up to see the tall senior.

Mori looked over at her and then nodded in acknowledgment. Haruhi smiled back at him -before going back to address the subject at hand.

'Tamaki, it's okay,' she said, looking exasperatedly down at the boy who was making a quickly spreading patch of tears appear across her uniform. 'Kaoru's back to normal now.'

'What?!' Tamaki looked up, his tears suddenly gone. 'Kaoru!' He began rushing emotionally towards the boy, intending to give him one of his infamous glomps. 'Daddy's been so worried about you-'

_WHACK _

_-Sob sob- _'Oh Kaoru, how could you, you heartless, unfeeling monster!'

_WHACK! _

Tamaki decided to be smart (for once) and ended his attempts to glomp the young boy. He retreated sulkily to his damp corner while the other members –namely Hunny, Haruhi and Mori- crowded around the still defensive Kaoru. Kyouya joined them, his trusty notebook in hand as per the norm.

'Kaoru!'

Hunny squeaked happily...

And then proceeded to attack him to death with hugs and whole army of Hunny flowers. Kyouya smirked, and Haruhi looked amused as Kaoru made futile attempts to free himself.

'Kaoru, I'm so glad you're better now! We _must_ go have some cake together!'

'Hunny, wait-'

A smile on her face, Haruhi glanced up at Mori. The stoic senior was watching the proceeds, a blank, expressionless look on his face. However, if she looked closely… Haruhi narrowed her eyes and carefully peered up into his face, she could just make out…maybe? Yes! The faint traces of a smile-

She froze.

She was suddenly aware that something was not quite right.

Slowly, her eyes traveled away from Mori's mouth, and up to his eyes. He was staring at her.

Ten seconds ticked past.

Haruhi's brain was frozen, strangely refusing to work.

Another ten seconds.

Tick, tick, tick...

He was staring at her!

Mori looked blankly at her as Haruhi -discreetly- hosted a battle of clashing opinions inside her head. Her thoughts were in chaos. He'd seen her staring at him! What could he be thinking? Oh no, what would he think now! Her eyes flicked back briefly to Mori's passive face.

Wait. What did she think? Why had she staring at him in the first place? She was so confused-

'Haruhi?'

Hunny and Kaoru were staring at her, Hunny having gotten bored of harassing Kaoru. He scampered over beside them, peering at the two of them. Mori looked away from Haruhi down at the tiny senior.

'What's she doing, Takashi?' Hunny stared in confusion at Haruhi, who was still trying to get her brain to function with her body. She dragged her eyes from Mori's chest to look over at Kaoru and Hunny.

'Um...'

'Haruhi, my darling daughter!' Tamaki was there in a flash, seeming to have gotten back to his usually perky self. 'Speak to Daddy! What happened?'

'Nothing-'

'What! Don't lie to me Haruhi! A father knows when his daughter is hiding something from him! Tell your father-'

'Tamaki.' Tamaki turned in mid-sentence to see Kyouya walking towards them, pushing his glasses higher up his nose as he spoke. 'Stop acting so immature.'

'Mother!' Tamaki whined. 'You're meant to support me!'

Kyouya sighed antagonizingly. 'Tamaki. Please.'

_-Sulk-_ Tamaki turned his back on Kyouya.

Then he looked over his shoulder to see how he was reacting to his sulking. Seeing Kyouya still looking at him, he quickly he turned away again.

Kyouya sighed again. He shook his head disbelievingly and walked away from the assemble back to his laptop.

Hunny tugged on Tamaki's arm. 'Tama, let's go eat cake, 'kay? Kaoru's coming too!'

Tamaki relented reluctantly allowing himself to be dragged off by the chibi senior, Kaoru following behind. Haruhi and Mori watched them go, Haruhi smiling fondly after them. Hunny was happily setting out plates and forks and then proceeded to produce a giant cake box, clapping his hands joyfully. Kaoru seemed almost back to his normal self and Haruhi saw him taunting Tamaki evilly, probably about her refusal to tell him what was on her mind. Tamaki indignantly made a face in reply, looking defensive. Hunny shut both of them up by dishing out generous helpings of cake into their laps, smiling sunnily.

Haruhi glanced up at Mori, who was standing beside her. He was also observing the proceedings, his usual blank expression on his face. But, -Haruhi thought as she smiled up at his gentle face- inside his heart, she knew that he was probably watching over them with as much warmth and love as she. Inside of her, she felt a warm glow spread through her whole being as she gazed up at him. He was so tender and loving towards all the members. He was the protective father who watched over all of them, who looked after them. He never asked for anything in return either...

Mori saw her looking, and he glanced over at her. Haruhi was taken by surprise. She moved her mouth silently for a few moments, trying to think of what to say.

'I-um…Mori-'

'Haruhi.'

Her eyes widened slightly as she heard him say her name. His voice was quiet and warm, like the whisper of the sea as it lapped against the sand. It was so deep and rich and-

She quickly snapped out of her reverie, mentally scolding herself. What was she thinking? She couldn't think of Mori like that. She suddenly became aware that she was still standing there looking dazed, and Mori was still waiting for her to speak -regarding her with…amusement?

'Um…Mori, er... Shouldn't we be helping Kyouya to tidy up the Host Club?' Haruhi blurted, looking around quickly to see where Kyouya was. It wasn't like her to be this flustered all of a sudden. What could have gotten into her? Calm down Haruhi, calm down. She looked left, then she looked right-

She gave a start, her eyes widening in surprise. Kyouya was standing behind her, practically towering over her, and he looked evil. _Very_ evil. The kind of evil a certain Shadow King had when he knew something that you didn't.

Haruhi froze in horror, staring at his face.

Could…could he have seen her staring at Mori? She groaned inwardly. Oh no. What would he think now?

Had it just been her imagination or had Kyouya's grin widened?

'Haruhi. Mori. Go and get Tamaki and Kaoru to stop fooling around and come over. We need to hold a club meeting.' Kyouya pushed up his glasses, and walked away, scribbling calmly into his notebook. Haruhi shuddered slightly. Who knew what information he was writing in that book about her at that very moment?

She shook her head to clear those _decidedly_ unsettling thoughts, and turned to Mori.

'Shall we go now?'

Mori nodded briefly and began walking towards the three remaining members of the Host Club. Haruhi followed him. As she stared at his back, she began wondering dreamily about what it was that she liked so much about him. His stride? His gentleness?

That moment just then… Had it really been only a look of admiration for him? Or had she felt something…_more?_

Wait, what was she doing? She shook her head to clear it, frowning to herself in disapproval. Since when had she become all girly? She sighed resignedly. She was feeling really strange that day. It was probably due to Kaoru confessing all of those unexpected revelations to her. She focusing her gaze to the front to see Hunny, Tamaki and Kaoru. Tamaki had evidently also seen _them_ and at that moment had abandoned his cake and rushing to her side. He was speaking very enthusiastically, so much that it was giving her earache.

'Haruhi, my dear! What is it that you wish to tell us? Have you finally decided to tell Daddy what's on your mind?'

Haruhi sighed exasperatedly. She thought that he would've forgotten about that already. She ignored his comment, turning instead towards Kaoru and Hunny.

'Kyouya says he wants a meeting, so you have to come over.'

'Ooh, a meeting huh?' Hunny skipped to her side, beaming up at her. Haruhi smiled back. His face was like a little ray of sunshine. 'I wonder what it's about?'

'Wait for me!' Kaoru abandoned his plate, setting it quickly down on the small coffee table as he rushed over to join them.

Mori held up the rear, walking silently and wordlessly behind the four of them.

xxx

'What is it Kyouya?' Hunny asked curiously, as they gathered around on the sofa.

'Yeah, what is it?' Tamaki snatched a seat next to Haruhi, much to her annoyance. She sighed resignedly, turning to Kyouya.

'What did you want to hold a meeting about?' she asked, focusing her attention on him and ignoring Tamaki. The other members looked over expectantly.

Kyouya pushed his glasses up on his nose as he began to talk.

'Here is the topic,' he said looking around to the other members. 'Now that we have established that Kaoru is relatively recuperated after the loss of his brother, there are two problems that we need to focus our attention on.'

Haruhi nodded. 'Go on.'

'One. We need to hold a vote on when the Host Club will be opened to the clients again.' The members nodded in agreement. 'Two. Now that Hikaru is gone, Kaoru does not have anyone to do his 'brotherly love' act with. This may cause his popularity to drop among the customers. Because of this, we have two options. First, we can continue on as normal, and see how the clients respond to Kaoru being alone.'

He nodded towards Kaoru. 'Kaoru, if this is the case, you may need to reassess your selling image.' He turned back to the rest of the club members. 'Or, we have another option. Two.' His glasses glinted as he began to speak.

'Two, we can allow Kaoru to resign as a club member.'

* * *

**AN:** Muahaha, I love cliffhangers!! -except of course, if its me reading them =.=- Well, hope you enjoyed? Hopefully? Tell me if I'm getting worse or I'm getting better please! I love your lovely reviews, and don't be afraid to complain if you think I'm slacking +_+

Thanks for reading, and hope you'll review ^.^


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. Yayayaya...

**Please read and review**

* * *

'Two, we can allow Kaoru to resign as a club member.'

The words echoed through all of the members heads as they stared at Kyouya in shock. Tamaki was the first to react. 'What?!' he protested, appearing in a flash at Kyouya's side. 'But, that's impossible! Kaoru can't leave!'

He turned to Kaoru quickly. 'Kaoru, tell him! You can't leave!'

Mori watched passively as Kaoru stared down at the ground in silence. He knew that the boy was seriously contemplating this option. Tamaki zipped over to Kaoru's side, tugging agitatedly on his arm. 'Kaoru?! Kaoru, speak to Father!' He frowned as the boy didn't respond. Kaoru looked up, his eyes serious.

'I-I'm not...needed here anymore so-'

'NO!' Tamaki shook him hard. 'Kaoru, you can't leave! I forbid it!' He shook him again, glaring angrily at him. 'You. Can't. Leave!'

Mori was –to put it mildly- a little stunned at Tamaki's reaction. He had rarely ever seen Tamaki this panicked before, as he usually took a very simplistic view on matters. He wondered briefly why the boy was so worked up at the possibility of Kaoru's resignation. Was it because of his obsessive pride in looking after all the club members? Maybe so.

After all, Mori thought, Tamaki may look to be rather immature and over-dramatic at times, but Mori knew that underneath the surface, the Host King had a zealous passion for the club that he had formed, and would do anything to keep it together. Not many were aware of this fact, as Tamaki hid it well beneath his fanciful gestures and frivolous perspectives, but he had formed the Host Club with the blood and tears of his own tragic past.

Poor boy. Mori watched as Tamaki tried to knock his own perspective of sense into Kaoru -which included glomping the life out of him before running off in tears to his private little dark corner of the hall. Perhaps Tamaki was not the best of people suited for the art of manipulative persuasion. No...a better person for this job was Haruhi. Mori looked on in approval as the young girl slid tactfully over to Kaoru's side in her effort to convince Kaoru to stay.

'Kaoru.' She stared gently up into his eyes, her tone soft and comforting. Mori felt a pang of unwanted emotion pierce through his heart.

No. This was for Kaoru, he thought to himself sternly. It was for all the club members. He watched as Kaoru looked up, to gaze into her earnest face. 'Please Kaoru,' Haruhi persuaded. 'Tamaki needs you. We all need you. Please, don't go.'

Kaoru stared at her for a while, his eyes flicking over her face, towards Tamaki, to Hunny, Mori and Kyouya who were watching in tense anticipation.

'But...Hikaru's gone…'

Haruhi shook her head firmly. 'Kaoru, just because Hikaru's not here, it doesn't mean we don't want you anymore. In fact,' she said softly, 'it's the opposite. We need you even more now. The clients come second,' she stated firmly. She stared resolutely into Kaoru's eyes. 'You come first, Kaoru. Okay?'

'Uhuh!' Hunny glared determinedly up at Kaoru. 'Kaoru, you have to stay! You can't go!'

Kyouya sighed. 'We can see how the clients will respond to Hikaru's absence. If there is not too much of a drop in popularity, Kaoru can stay.'

'Well, I suppose…' Kaoru looked a little doubtful.

Tamaki appeared beside them, back from his ever-expanding mushroom farm. 'Kaoru! You're staying!' he cried, tears streaming from his eyes, as he engulfed Kaoru in a giant glomp of emotion. He let out a big heaving sob -and proceeded cried his heart out, right onto -a very annoyed- Kaoru's school shirt.

_WHACK! _

Mori sighed. Well, the boy had had it coming. He watched as Tamaki withdrew faster than a rattlesnake, rushing over to hide behind Kyouya. He looked indignant. Kaoru stuck out his tongue.

'Mother! Control your children!'

Kyouya ignored him completely. He stepped away briefly, pushing his glasses up higher as he rifled through his notebook. 'Okay, now that we have established that Kaoru is still staying, we need to decide on when to reopen the Host Club to our clients. This should be relatively simple, but what may be a little more complicated is explaining Hikaru's sudden departure to them in a way that will not affect them too much and that will cause them to sympathize with Kaoru. Any suggestions?' He looked around at the remaining Host Club members. There was a pause as the members all stared up at the ceiling, deep in thought.

Finally it was Haruhi who spoke. 'I think that we should just tell them the truth,' she said honestly. Tamaki let out an exaggerated sigh. 'Oh Haruhi, you are so naive!' he declared, stepping towards her. He was stopped efficiently by a defensive Kaoru. And, on second thoughts, also by a jealous Mori.

'Wah! So mean!' Tamaki pouted, hurrying back to Kyouya's side.

'Well,' Kyouya said, ignoring Tamaki and going back to the previous suggestion. He thought in silence for a while, going over Haruhi's idea in his mind. 'Telling the truth is all very well, but we could do it a little more…tactfully?'

His glasses glinted devilishly. 'Keeping in mind that we need to raise Kaoru's popularity to ensure he doesn't lose customers.'

'But can't he just create a different appeal from the one he had before? I mean, Kaoru and Hikaru's selling image was good, but Kaoru is just as good on his own, right? He has lots of good qualities.' Haruhi frowned back at Kyouya, her disapproval of his implication evident on her crossed her arms for good measure, earning a squeal of delight from Tamaki.

'Wahh! Haruhi's so cute!' Tamaki once again tried to run over to hug her. Mori winced as the Host king received yet another whack to the head. It seemed that Tamaki never gave up did he?

'Well,' Kyouya returned calmly, 'that's all very well, but sometimes our clients tend to go for different tastes, Haruhi.' Kyouya countered her protests as smooth as silk, smirking slightly at the frown that appeared on her face. He turned back to Kaoru. 'Kaoru, what do you think?'

Kaoru frowned as he thought. He seemed to be more quiet and introverted without his compulsive older brother, Mori noted, as he and the club members waited for him to speak. Or perhaps it was just because he was still getting over his loss. No matter, as long as he wasn't still hurting.

Kaoru began to speak, shrugging his shoulders dismissively. 'I don't really know. I guess that I'll have to think of a new selling point.'

'Okay then!' Hunny jumped up and down, waving Usa-chan around to attract attention. 'Let's help Kao think up a new image!'

'Okay.' Haruhi turned to Kaoru. 'What about _Normal _type? I bet that lots of girls would want-'

'Oh Haruhi! You are so naïve!' Tamaki let out a snort of laughter from his spot next to Hunny, causing Haruhi to frown slightly in confusion. He rushed to Kaoru's side. 'Let Daddy find you an image that will make your popularity soar to the sky! I am after all, the King of-'

_WHUMP._

'Stupid Tono.' Kaoru sighed as he stared down at Tamaki who lay whimpering on the ground. 'You'll probably think up some perverted idea of making me cross-dress or something.'

'But Kaoru?!' Tamaki sprang to his feet, looking hurt. 'Daddy thought you liked dressing up as a girl.' Mori watched on as Tamaki began flapping around Kaoru, aiming ridiculous ideas at him from all angles. It seemed that since Hikaru had gone, Tamaki had taken it upon himself to adopt Kaoru as well. The problem with the Host King was that he cared deeply for all of the members, but he just didn't know how to show it properly. So, he simply displayed it in the best way that he knew how.

Unfortunately, _his_ ways of showing concern were often very loud and flamboyant, and usually resulted in his tearful retreat when the members got overly fed up with his antics.

No matter, Mori thought, the instinct was there and in the end, he did a good job of keeping them together. He watched in mild amusement as Kaoru attempted to swat away Tamaki's oncoming blows -with no success.

As perceptive as Tamaki was about other people's feelings, he seemed to be remarkably slow when it came to him own. It was obvious to all the members –except the two in question- that Tamaki had feelings for the young girl. However, he seemed to think that his feelings for Haruhi were those of friendship, and had thus attempted to turn the Host Club into a big happy family.

Mori frowned at the idea. This had not gone down very well with the club members, least of all Haruhi. It was -admittedly- quite a childish notion, and had only caused Haruhi to think him even more obnoxious. He watched as Tamaki gave up trying to get a reaction out of Kaoru, and instead turned his attention to Haruhi with a cry of eager joy. Mori looked over to see how Haruhi was faring. She was looking rather strained -probably Tamaki's antics were starting to get on her nerves.

Tamaki just had trouble recognizing his affections for the girl.

It was most likely the same in this case as well, Mori mused. Tamaki was undoubtedly concerned for Kaoru, just like the rest of the members. Thus, he had decided to show his care and support for the boy in his usual way, which involved using his attempt to attract his attention in the form of loud flamboyant gestures and merry-making.

All which would result in ear-splitting migraines for the other members and lots of bruises for Tamaki. Mori predicted that at the end of the day there would be a lot of cleaning up to do, as Kaoru would most likely blow his fuse and begin chasing Tamaki around the room, beating him with whatever object he laid eyes on first.

He sighed. His job would be to assist Haruhi in the cleaning.

He gazed fondly towards Haruhi. She was protesting weakly to Tamaki's attention, and it seemed that Kaoru had joined in with the mix as well, obviously not happy with Tamaki's choice of action. Haruhi was the one who had made it all happen. Without her…

He wondered briefly what life _would _be like without Haruhi. No doubt, the Host Club members wouldn't be the people they were today, were it not for her.

She was so...

It suddenly dawned on him that he probably wouldn't be able to live without her in his life. But…why? He had no idea.

There was something about her presence, something about her that made the room light up whenever she came in. When he was with her, he felt so...happy, for some strange reason. Her presence was like when storm clouds cleared from the sky and the sun came out.

_Lighting up his world._

He found himself staring at her, and quickly blinked a couple of times, snapping out of his thoughts

'How about Shy type?' Hunny had decided to voice his opinions at that moment, causing Tamaki to freeze in mid-flap as the members considered the idea.

'Hmm,' Kyouya frowned. 'Yes, but the change in character may be too sudden for the clients and they may suspect that it is a fake act he is putting on. Kaoru doesn't really seem to have a 'Shy' type of persona either.' Hunny visibly drooped as Kyouya continued on ruthlessly. 'Also, we are trying to boost or maintain his popularity now that Hikaru is gone. Using an introverted characteristic may not be a good idea for this as these personalities tend to not be very well noticed. Shy type is a definite no.' He closed his notebook with a snap.

Hunny sniffed tearfully. 'Kyouya, so mean…'

Kyouya ignored him, turning back to the rest of the members. 'Any other ideas?' There were none. He sighed, taking off his glasses to wipe them with a cloth. 'Alright then, let's vote as to when to begin hosting sessions again.'

'Okay, I vote on Monday!' Tamaki struck a gallant pose as he thrust his hand in the air. Apparently, his enthusiastic tone had affected the other members as well and Hunny was nodding happily.

Kaoru shrugged off-handedly. 'I don't really care.'

'All right then, it's decided!' Tamaki declared, tactfully not letting Kyouya get a chance to voice any opposing opinions. Kyouya sighed, pushing his glasses up as he surveyed the assemble. 'Okay, Monday it is.'

'Yay!' Hunny jumped up and down, tugging on Kaoru's sleeve. 'Good luck, Kao!'

'I know what we should do!' Tamaki sprang forwards in excitement, obviously hyped by the energetic mood. 'We should go somewhere in the weekend to celebrate Kaoru's recovery!'

Mori smiled at this. The Host King was still so childish sometimes. Well, at least the club was back to normal again.

'No.'

Tamaki visibly drooped under Kyouya's stern gaze. He rushed to his side, ready to begin one of his nagging episodes. 'Why, mother?' he whined, tugging on Kyouya's sleeve.

'It's a waste of time. We need to be organizing for the reopening, and deciding on what will attract the clients' attention towards Kaoru.'

'Easy! Pure charm.' Tamaki struck a pose, causing Haruhi to shudder. 'Please! Moth-er!! Pleeease?'

Kyouya let out a long and suffering sigh. Kaoru and Hunny looked a little concerned. And rightly so, Mori thought in alarm as the normally calm club member began to steam. There was a reason why Haruhi had dubbed him 'The Shadow King.'

'NO!'

Despite all odds, Tamaki had still not given up. He composed himself, doing his best to be as tall and intimidating as possible. Mori actually thought that he looked quite formidable...that is, before he plunged headfirst into one of his insufferable speeches -causing Kyouya's hands to twitch by their sides.

'But it will be a good chance for us to attain inspiration! Stimulus! Eureka moments! What better place to chance upon insight than on a beautiful night where the stars rain down from heaven-'

'Tamaki.' Mori spoke, spurred into verbal communication by the dangerous glint that was coming off Kyouya's glasses. Tamaki stopped in mid sentence, glancing in surprise at the sound of the voice. His jaw dropped to the ground as he stared at Mori in shock.

He was over-reacting slightly, Mori decided, that is -until he looked around at the other members. Kaoru was staring at him in wide-eyed disbelief, as was Haruhi and even Hunny looked a bit surprised –which was strange as he'd heard him talk many times in the past. Mori sighed quietly. Perhaps it hadn't been such a good idea-

'Mori!' Tamaki was at his side is a flash, staring in awe as if he'd just performed some amazing act of talent. Which –to the rest of the members at least- perhaps he had. Mori frowned slightly. Tamaki did have a strange knack of being able to suddenly appear at one's side in no time at all. At that moment the Host King seemed to be overcome with a strange bout of emotion. He was dabbing once again at his eyes, sniffing as he did so. He looked up at him, his eyes bright and watery. 'Mori, my good man! Your words are an inspiration to us all! Your voice, it is so wise, so inspiring! So-'

'Tamaki, you know Mori only said one word. And that was your name.' Haruhi rolled her eyes, obviously fed up with Tamaki's immature antics. Tamaki frowned defensively at her. 'I know Haruhi, my dear child! But was it not said in such a way that lifted your very heart to the rooftops?'

Haruhi pretended to ponder the thought for a moment. Then she stared directly into Tamaki's eyes.

'No.'

Tamaki ran sobbing into his corner. Hunny bee-lined after him, holding Bunny out in front of him. The four other members watched on in dumbfounded silence, each with their own doubts. That boy… Mori sighed, certainly not for the first time that day, and not by any means the last. Tamaki was such a strange boy, so unpredictable in his actions. And so emotional… Mori glanced sympathetically towards Tamaki's corner, where Hunny was comforting him. The poor boy seemed to be going there more and more often lately, as the members became increasingly frustrated and short-tempered with his theatrics. Of course though, Hikaru's sudden departure had also played a significant role in it, causing the members to be on a shorter leash than usual.

Next to him, Kaoru smirked softly as he looked over towards the forlorn Host King. Well, it was good to see he was back to normal. Kaoru saw him looking and glanced at him, his eyes still amused. Mori regarded him for a while, before nodding slightly and turning away. Kyouya looked a little exasperated as he tried to get the meeting back into order. He scribbled a few notes into his book before motioning to the other members. 'Next Monday. Kaoru, you heard me, correct?'

'Uhuh.' Next to him, Haruhi looked up at Kyouya. 'What will happen if Kaoru loses popularity?'

Kyouya didn't even twitch. 'He gets kicked out.'

Kaoru flinched. 'Ouch.'

'It is a necessary course of action. If Kaoru has no more clients, then what's the point of keeping him?'

'But what about us?' Haruhi looked determinedly up at the calculating club member. 'What about friendship?'

'There are no friends here. Only colleagues.'

Haruhi looked displeased. Mori gazed at her sadly. She was so loyal to the members. She cared about them so much. She was so…

'Kyouya! We're back!' Hunny sprang out from behind them, tugging a still tearful Tamaki behind him. The Host King was hugging Bunny to his person, lent to him generously by Hunny. Mori looked down proudly at the small boy. He was learning to share now, that was a good sign. Maybe he would even brush his teeth without reminder after a while- But of course, that was still some time away.

'Mother…' Tamaki walked numbly over to Kyouya, tugging half-heartedly on his sleeve. He mustered up the best puppy eyes he could. 'Please?' Hunny joined in, combining the two to make a double attack of puppy eyes.

Evil Puppy Eyes of Doom… Kyouya finally snapped, unable to hold his will under the power of a double attack of cuteness. Mori shivered slightly at the thought.

'Fine. But it has to be short.'

'Do not fear, Mother! I have just the thing in mind!' Tamaki leaned in conspiratorially. 'We'll go stargazing!'

'What?'

'That's right, my dear!' Tamaki plucked Haruhi's chin between thumb and forefinger. Mori felt a pang of annoyance. He tried squashing it down as Tamaki continued on. 'We will come to escort you at seven o'clock precisely on Saturday.' He turned to the rest of the club members, releasing Haruhi's chin. She rubbed it, shooting Tamaki a look of pure exasperation.

'Has everyone understood? Seven o'clock, we meet at Haruhi's house! I know a perfect little commoner's hill that will be perfect for stargazing! And such a beautiful art it is too, is it not?' He turned, beaming towards Haruhi. 'You must show us all of the commoner's shops on the way. Be sure to point them out to us-'

He was cut off abruptly as Kaoru punched him in the face. Mori looked on blankly as Tamaki began spurting a torrent of indignation, chasing the boy around the hall with much gusto.

'Come back here! Stupid Kaoru!'

'Tono is an old pervert! Hitting on Haruhi like that!'

Mori watched the scene with a mixture of disbelief and familiar amusement. Before he could stop him, Hunny gave a squeal of delight and began running after them, intent on joining in with the fun. He looked down. Haruhi was standing beside him again, regarding the scene with undisguised disbelief. And shock. And perhaps horror.

No doubt, Mori thought as he looked fondly down at the young girl, she was imagining the amount of tidying up she would have to do after they were done. He thought he saw some white hairs appear as her brain began working in overdrive, imagining the possibilities. He gave her a comforting pat on the head, walking away to leave her staring after him in surprise.

* * *

**AN:** Review please! Soz I updated later than usual, I was struck by a plague of author's block, plus a mountain of stress and homework and exams etc, etc... -shudders at the thought-

What you think? Criticism is regarded as gold and diamonds here, so please don't hesitate! Other comments appreciated too!


End file.
